The dark history of royal births

Royal Family portrait, 1937. King George VI, Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The tradition of having senior dignitaries present at royal births largely died out at the turn of the century, but home secretaries were required to witness the birth of the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret.

Photograph by: United Kingdom information office

Whatever anxieties the Duchess of Cambridge experienced as she waited for the birth of her baby, she could comfort herself with the knowledge that her ordeal was little compared with what her royal predecessors went through.

If she had been carrying a future monarch 500 years ago, superstitions and royal edicts meant she would have had to lie in a darkened room for weeks on end, with a roaring fire in the grate regardless of the July weather.

Up to 70 people would be present when future monarchs were born, so that they could verify there had been no skulduggery such as an infant impostor being substituted in the royal bedchamber.

Archbishops, cabinet ministers and courtiers were among the dignitaries who would be expected to witness royal births, but when the Duchess gives birth she will only have her husband and a handful of medical staff with her.

Tracy Borman, joint chief curator of the Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber exhibition at Hampton Court Palace, said that for centuries, royal mothers-to-be were confined for the last month of their pregnancy because of long-held beliefs it would bring a male heir.

The rules were laid down in the 15th century by Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII.

"A royal mother-to-be could only be served by women, no natural light was allowed, so all the windows were shuttered and even keyholes were blocked up. Fires had to be lit, even in summer. The rules were followed for centuries, because it was believed that this would not only result in a healthy baby, but also a boy.

"People believed that a child's sex was not determined until it was born, so they thought they could influence the baby's gender during the pregnancy."

Throughout history, royal births have been anything but private and no one suffered more than Mary of Modena, the wife of King James II.

When she gave birth to her son James in 1688, rumours were rife that she was not pregnant and that a baby had been smuggled into her bed.

To put paid to the gossip, 70 of the most eminent figures in the land attended the birth in St James's Palace so that their testimonies could be published.

The tradition of having senior dignitaries present at the birth continued.

The practice largely died out at the turn of the century, but home secretaries were required to witness the birth of the Queen and Princess Margaret.

The father would not necessarily have been among the witnesses at royal births, particularly if they were the king.

A paternal presence is a thoroughly modern idea - when the Prince of Wales was born in 1948, the Duke of Edinburgh was playing squash.

Royal Family portrait, 1937. King George VI, Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The tradition of having senior dignitaries present at royal births largely died out at the turn of the century, but home secretaries were required to witness the birth of the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret.